Nonbeliever
by Shmekana
Summary: Jack Sparrow runs into an interesting character in a bar in Tortuga. She has strong beliefs that all of Sparrow's adventures are fake and won't let her thoughts falter until Jack finds a way to prove to her they are real. JackxOC Andrew Belle- The ladder
1. Woe is Me

**Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter 1 of my Pirates of the Caribbean fanfic. I know I'm probably going to get comments from my Frozen Luck readers that I shouldn't be posting a new fanfic because I don't post enough on Frozen Luck but I' running a writers block and writing other things helps me most.**

**Well besides that, please enjoy the story!**

**~Mekana**

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><p>"Bloody Norrington," Captain Jack Sparrow groggily took another swig of rum, "Firing at my ship just for pulling into port. That man holds grudges against pirates like he's the bloody governer!" He slammed his empty stein onto the table causing drops of rum to jump out in fear for their lives. He waved a large bosomed wench over flailing his cup in the air. "Another rum, Love. And perhaps you should cover up a li'l less. It would distract customers from your face." She gasped, picked up his stein, and stormed off.<p>

"I'd be careful, mate. She's most likely spittin' in your glass for that." A voice came from Jack's right. Down the bar sat a golden haired beauty in a floor length coat tied tightly around her waist.

"How are you so sure?"

"Well, that's what I'd be doing right about now. If a man ever called my face ugly, I'd be doing a lot more than just spittin' in his drink."

"Those are some tough words for such a scrawny lady." She finally turned to greet his eyes after spending the beginning of their conversation staring into her glass of swirling gin. Jack then noticed a long white scar running down her neck where potentially a knife was once run down to break her perfect skin.

"First time I've ever been called scrawny. You have some guts, Sparrow."

"Oh, so you've heard of me?"

"Aye, you're the talk of Tortuga. Everyone's all over your tales of cursed treasure and Davy Jones." She exaggerated the words in faux interest.

Just then some men spotted Jack and began to cheer, "Hey Captain Sparrow! What was it like to be in the locker?"

"See? Too bad for you, though. I don't believe a word of it."

"Really, and why is that?" He cocked an eyebrow and sat up a little straighter.

She took another swig of her drink, "Because, I've been travelin' the sea since I was a child and have yet to run into any skeleton pirates or krakens big enough to swallow a ship whole."

Jack laughed and pointed his freshly filled stein at her, "You got to see it to believe it, love."

"You can't see something that doesn't exist, now can you? The sea is far less dangerous than that! I do have to ask how you ever came up with such _ridiculous_ stories, however." She raised her voice in defiance.

"I tell you, it's true! I live through it, I know!" He flailed his arms in the air. People in the bar became curious of all the ruckus and began to watch.

"By how much you drink I bet you _do_ think you'd seen all that!" Some of the crowd cheered her on.

"You're one bloody stubborn wench. What I say is true and no amount of rum can make it not!" He rose to his feet and jabbed an index finger at her.

"Bug off. I don't want to deal with your inanity." The woman returned to her drink while Jack continued to yell and curse at her. He reached for his drink and took a swig before remembering her spit comment and spewing out anything left in his mouth.

"Not thristy, now?" She piped up sarcastically with a little kid whine in her voice, "Did I ruin your appetite?" Jack growled low in his throat and reached for the handle of his sword, "At least you won't make up such daft stories anymore."

"You're what's daft around here, woman. What would you even know about a pirate's life, anyway?" He drew his sword but it was just as quickly stopped with a clang against a similar metal in the woman's hand.

"Ah, you see, Sparrow," She began, getting to her feet and pushing her weight onto the blade of her cutlass. "Not only am I a pirate, but I am captain of the Royal Mermada."

"You're lieing!" Jack yelled and pushed her off. She came back with a swing of her sword which he stopped with another clang " The captain of the Royal Mermada is Thomas Russell."

"Thomas Russel is my father. He died 3 years ago so now, I'm in charge!" She ducked when jack swung for her head. Whether he really wanted to kill her just because she was annoying he wasn't sure of.

"Now you're the one making up stories!" He avoided a slice to the chest and came back with another swing.

"I'm not lieing, you washed up son of a-"

The door to the bar was flung open and all heads turned from the fight to see a young scruff-haired boy hasten in. The boy glanced between the fight before laying eyes on the woman, "Captain! The storm is moving in. We need to move the ship to the next island."

She backed off pushing Jack away from her. "Aye, boy. Have the crew begin preparations."

"Aye aye, Captain!" He ran off slamming the door.

"Alright alright. I'll believe you're captain. Now, I must go rescue my Pearl from this storm." He left the bar but quickly poked his head back in, "What's your name, Lass?"

"Claire Russell, Captain Claire Russell."

"Pleasure meeting you."

"I don't believe the pleasure is mutual, I'm afraid. Never pictured the great Jack Sparrow to be such a fraud."

"Captain Jack Sparrow." He said, then waltzed out into the gusting wind tumbling down the streets of Tortuga.

Jack clutched onto his tattered hat as the storm tried to snatch it from his head. "Bloody girl. If I could just prove her wrong, she'd be begging at my knees for me." He came to his dock and arrived at the site he'd tied the Pearl off. He'd stopped in his tracks and stared at the spot for a moment. It _was _where he left the Pearl, he was sure of it but the rather large missing object made him think otherwise. Where he'd tied off his most prized possession was now no more than the open sea and a few ropes hanging from the post on the dock. "Where," He took a deep breath, "Is… my Pearl?" He let out in no more than a whisper.

There was no site of the Pearl offshore and no evidence the ship had been destroyed. The crew had left on their own will, without their captain.

"Mutiny, mutiny, mutiny!" He tossed his hat with all the force he could. It landed eight feet ahead of him and quickly began to move with the wind. Jack sulked his way over to the end and picked it up. He turned around and accidentally kicked over a glass bottle. It clacked on the planks and caught his attention. In his clouded mind he lifted the bottle to his lips and attempted to drink it, but to his drunken dismay it was empty. He lifted it to meet his eyes, "Why is the rum always gone?"

"Why are you talking to a note in a bottle?" Claire Russell strutted down the dock and even in all his misery, Jack still managed to watch her breasts as they slightly bounced with each of her steps. If she weren't so stubborn, he'd be tempted to find a bed for the two of them to occupy his mind in a more desirable way.

"A note, you say?" He came back to the current issue.

"Aye, you must be too drunk to notice something _that_ obvious." She paused to see his eyes were still watching her chest, "Or too busy looking at something else." She crossed her arms over her bosom and his eyes met hers. She then snatched the bottle from his hands and fished out the tattered paper. "It's for you, too. '_Captain Sparrow, we have sailed the Pearl to a safer location to avoid further damage to the ship from the rain. We'll begin repairs at our stop. I know you will find a way to get to us. Meet us at the North side of De Muerta, Gibbs.'_"

"Oh, thank god. Me lovely Pearl is safe." Jack sighed in relief.

"Yet, you have no way of getting to it. Your crew could simply decide having you as a captain is pointless and overthrow you."

"You are absolutely right, love. Then, I must be off. I can single-handedly take over a ship and sail my way to De Muerta. Now which shall I choose."

"You can't be serious, Sparrow. Even if you could take down an entire crew on your own, who are you going to have to run the ship?"

He huffed loudly, "Will you stop bringing me down? You really are not a fun person to have around." He sat at the edge of the dock and Claire could hear him mutter a light "What to do, what to do?" over the gusting wind.

Claire was wracking her own brain over the situation, as well. The brilliant idea of using Jack to her advantage crossed into her mind. She could use Jack to find out the truth of De Muerta, the island rumored to hold more riches than all of Port Royal's fortune put together. The stories of Jack Sparrow's adventures were far too fetched to be real but there could be the chance that she could con him into a little of his keep on De Muerta, even if it were just one simple chest. "I tell you what, Sparrow. I'll make you a bit of a deal." Jack's head turned toward her, "I'll sail you to De Muerta on the Royal Mermada if you give me half of any gold on the island."

"I'd never give up my fortune!" He stumbled over flailing his arms.

"Then, I suppose you'll never make it back to your beloved Pearl. And you might as well never see you treasures, either." She hummed as she walked to her ship, "Jim, drop the sails. We're ready to take of-"

"Fine, fine!" Jack cut in, running up the gangplank after the golden haired captain.

"Is something wrong, Sparrow?" She mocked him with a wide smirk.

He sighed deeply, "I'll give you half of the loot on De Muerta if you'll give me a ride."

"Aye! Now you're sounding more reasonable." Her beige eyes glittered as she led the half-drunk captain onboard her ship, "Welcome aboard the Royal Mermada."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Please leave any questions, comments, and reviews. <strong>


	2. Faithless You and Selfish Me

**Hey everyone and welcome the chapter 2! I hope you enjoy and I do have a small request for those who would like to be of any help. I like to put song lyrics as the title chapters but I can't find a song that would work well for this story. If any of you can think of one please post the song and artist name either in reviews or message me. **

**Thanks to PureAngelEyes for reviewing and I'll try my best to work more on this story. Check out my deviantart for a picture of our wonderful Captain Claire.**

**Enjoy!**

**~Mekana**

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><p>"Captain," Jim, Claire's first mate, stood at her side watching the dreadlocked pirate lounge around as if he owned the ship when he should have for sure been doing some sort of work, "Where shall Mister Sparrow be sleeping?"<p>

"Hmm, I haven't the slightest idea. Haven't put much thought to it."

"How about the brig? We can't trust he isn't planning anything."

"Aye, but he's the only one who knows the way to De Muerta. Locking him up may make him less than cooperative. How about the chef's quarters? Thomas has an extra bunk, aye?"

"Aye, Captain. Though, I don't believe Mister Sparrow would get along well with Thomas."

"We won't give him a choice or he will be staying in the brig. Make Thomas aware and have him empty the bunk for Sparrow."

"Aye, aye," Jim turned to leave, "And Captain. Do we have a heading?"

"I'll have Sparrow take control of the helm. He's the only one who knows how to reach De Muerta."

"Aye, I hope he leads us where he says he will."

"Jim, he wants his ship. It's his prized possession." Claire gripped the railing of her own ship, "Without it, a captain is nothing."

Jim shook a hand through his shaggy black hair, "I don't know, Captain. He could be trouble for us."

Sparrow was currently occupied in admiring Captain Russell's ship, or perhaps despising it. The Royal Mermada was spotless Jack's filthy wretch of a boat. Claire must have a crew member swab it until it sparkled every day! The only thing cleaner than the deck were the brass features including the railings and mermaid lanterns that he'd watched a crewmember polish until the poor lad's fingers bled. "I'm glad I'm not her scrub boy. That man better earn a quarter of all her fortune to himself!" He then overheard the captain conversing with a boy no taller than her own short form.

"We have eyes on him, don't worry. You're not the only one watching over our guest." He then realized quite a few members were keeping their distance from him and others would toss his a glare as they passed by. He merely thought they envied him, though, being the ever-so-great captain he was.

He stood from his spot at the bow and turned to a group of men who snarled at him while they carried a barrels of what smelled to be pickles passed him, "What are you looking at me like that for? Are you jealous of me because you have to clean this ship? If so go snarl and whine to yer captain instead!"

"What are you yelling about, you ninny? You're causing a scene." Jack spun around. The goldie-locked captain had her leather captain's hat on and brushed the blue feathers in the brim down with her fingers. "Never mind. Sparrow, I need our heading. The helmsman isn't going to lead this boat aimlessly forever."

"Aye, of course." Jack fished through his brown coat and threw a small box to Claire. She caught it and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't need a compass, Sparrow. I have my own." She opened the compass to see the needle laying dimly in the wrong direction, "And besides, this thing doesn't even work. The needle doesn't point north."

"Yes, Love. It doesn't point north. It points to what you want most."

"Don't feed me those daft stories, Sparrow. I want to know the direction for De Muerta."

"I'm not lying. F you want the directions to De Muerta, follow the compass."

"Useless," She muttered and walked off but didn't remove her eyes from the compass, "Christopher, mate." she handed the compass to the man at the helm, "This sounds insane but follow the direction of the compass."

Christopher furrowed his eyebrows and took a moment before nodding and saying an unsure, "Aye, Captain."

Jack chuckled and returned to his spot at the bow singing lightly to himself.

Dinner arrived at sundown and the crew gathered in the galley to receive their helping of rice and steak. Many drunk off rum and even some who were sober laughed and yelled raising the volume to echo over the deack. The breeze outside was gentle and the smell of rain was growing stronger.

"Christopher, I'll take the wheel. Go down to the galley and get yourself some dinner." Claire pulled her cap on to keep her hair out of her face and grabbed the wheel from Christopher.

"are you sure, Cap'n? You need to eat, yerself."

"No, no. I'm fine, I'll eat when the crew's done. Go enjoy your meal."

"Aye, aye." He ran off and left Claire to steer. She watched the horizon at the last glimpse of daylight. The sky was studded with stars and ahead laid a thick, dark clouds. Lightening cracked erupting the clouds with light.

She counted off "One, two, three, four, five, six" Thunder erupted, "less than two miles away." That's going to be one hell of a storm." The captain sighed and savored the moment of silence she had to herself.

Meanwhile, Jack found himself amidst the commotion in the gallery. He'd currently been telling a crowd of the crew stories of De Muerta and his run-in with Barbossa and his crew of cursed pirates. The crew drank his stories more than they did their rum. They'd all gasp and cheer at his show as he animatedly reenacted each scene.

"And as I shot Barbossa in the heart, Will dropped the coin of Aztec gold into the chest. The curse was lifted and Barbossa fell to the floor dead." They all cheered and applauded with the roar of a lion.

"Tim, lad." Sparrow drunkenly called to the young scruff-haired boy who was currently eating bloody steak and keeping several men from starting a fist fight.

"It's Jim, Captain Sparrow."

"Aye, Jim. Where is our dashing captain, Claire?" He flipped his dreads over his shoulder, "I'd expect her to be dining with her crew."

"No, Captain. Ms. Russel enjoys eating on her own. She's probably at the helm, right now."

"I see. Thank you, boy. You are quite a smart lad to keep an eye on your captain's whereabouts. I see why you're her first mate." Jim nodded and returned to his meal.

Jack shuffled his way through a crowd of rowdy crewmembers who patted him on his back and cheered his name.

The noise seized when he reached the deck. The rolling waves crashed about causing the ship to sway and a bitter howl of wind chilled Jack through his coat. He pulled his hat lower on top his head to stop rain from pelting his face.

Sparrow spotted Claire at the help, one small hand on the wheel, the other clenching to her feathered cap. Her golden locks stuck to her coat drenched in a mixture of rain and seawater.

"Good evening, Sparrow!" She called over the patter of rain, "Quite a storm we're facing."

"Aye, it is." He joined her at the helm.

"Why aren't you in the galley?"

"I was concerned that such a frail young lady as yourself wouldn't be capable of handling this storm on your own." She gasped and frowned deeply at his less than complimentary observation. Perhaps he was right, she was shivering to the bone and her lips were no doubt purple from the bitter weather but that shouldn't give him permission to tell her if she's good enough to captain her ship.

"How sweet of you to care," She snarled, "I'm perfectly capable of steering my ship through this weather."

"Perhaps I could take over for you and you could go dry off inside." He reached for the wheel.

"No, Sparrow." She swatted his hands away, "I've got it."

"You're shivering, Love. Go inside and get yourself some dinner-"

"Jack, I am captain of the Royal Mermada and you will obey what I tell you. You are not captain of any vessel until you step foot back onto your own ship."

"But I have control over your half of the gold on De Muerta."

"Well, I could easily make you walk the plank and leave you stranded in the middle of a storm-struck ocean with little to no chance of you to return to your beloved Pearl ever again."

Jack was silenced. He looked at the girl. He knew he was right, she needed a break. She was drenched and shaking more than a maraca at an Italian ball but Claire's dignity was on the line. Did she feel she needed to prove to Jack that she was as good a captain as himself? She couldn't possibly care what he thought of her that much! She felt if she couldn't show Jack she was a good captain, she wasn't fit to be captain at all. "Fine, suit yourself. When you pass out of hypothermia, I won't be the one to help you." Jack turned and walked back to the galley.

"Good! I wouldn't want your help anyway." Claire glared at his back and focused on keeping the ship straight in the storm.

Jack returned to the galleys, ringing out his hat in frustration. "Women," he muttered with his eyes focused on the falling drops of water, "No, not women. No woman would ever argue with me, only Claire would. She's a feisty one." He chuckled. She was pretty cute when she was angry, like she thought she controlled the very way the Earth turned and on her demand, she could make it turn the other way. A small force ran into him and fell to the ground. Sparrow looked to see the young lad, Jim, frantically pulling himself to his feet. "Oh John, boy. I didn't see you there."

"Jim, Captain Sparrow."

"Aye Jim, John they both start with J. What's with the rush? You nearly hurt yourself."

"I-I'm sorry, sir. It's Captain Claire. She's passed out on the deck, as pale as the moon!"

"Calm down, boy. We can handle this." Jack turned his attention to the crowd of rough-housing pirates. "Thomas, we need you at the helm. You two," He pointed to of the few men who were still sober enough to think, "I need you men to help me get Ms. Russel into her cabin."

"Aye, Captain!" The men ran off.

"And Jim. Fetch me a bowl of hot water and a rag."

"Yes, sir."

Jack bolted to the deck to help the men carry Claire to her room. They placed her on the bed and immediately dismissed themselves. Jack pulled off Claire's boots and coat before placing a thick wool blanket atop her. Claire was freezing and her skin had no life left in it.

"Great, this is all my fault. I had to tease her and get in the way of her captaining." He grabbed a bottle of rum and chugged a third of it in one gulp.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Please review, comment, rate, anything! Flames are put on blast and laughed at :D Please leave a message if you have a song for this fic. Love you all<strong>


	3. I Will Leave a Key

**Hello everyone! Hope you are all having a good time right now. My life's been hectic with all of the work I've had with finals. For those of you who hadn't seen my update, I managed to lose this chapter last month but after searching through a bunch of old school work I found it! As a thank you for all of you who have waited so patiently for an update I'll be posting chapter 3 today and chapter for between Saturday and Tuesday!**

**Enjoy my friends  
>~Mekana <strong>

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><p>Jim and Jack sat at the dark oak table bolted to the floor of Claire's cabin, "Captain Jack, will she be alright?" Jim glanced at the girl with a frown, the normal glint in his eyes missing at the moment.<p>

"Why? Do you like her, boy?" Jack chuckled.

"Um, no sir. But she's been in my life since the day I was born. Losing her would be devastating."

Jack slapped the smaller boy on the back, lightly, yet still managing to jostle his small body, "She'll be fine. It's just a chill." He stood and placed a hand on Claire's still-frozen cheek. He frowned at the unchanged temperature but quickly turned back to Jim with a smile, "See? She's already warming up. How 'bout you go get some rest? I'll watch over her tonight."

"Alright, sir." Jim ran off and shut the door. Jack let out a guilty sigh. For the passed hour, he'd been tossing over his talk with Claire on deck. She was trying to prove to him that just because she was a woman didn't mean she wasn't fit to be a captain. She could handle the storm and the extreme weather as well as any man. Jack felt it was his own fault that she'd pushed herself so far to the point of hurting her own health.

And now, Claire laid lifeless in her bed. She wasn't retaining heat so the blankets around her weren't warming up, and the temperature had dropped with the storm. There was no heat to warm her up so her temperature only dropped lower.

Sparrow felt it was his responsibility to get her back to a healthy temperature. He was the only source of heat available so he began to remove Claire's sopping wet corsett, shirt, and pants, leaving only her undergarments to hide her body. Then, he removed his own wet clothing and climbed under the covers next to her, pulling her tightly against his body.

A chill ran down his spine but he did his best not to pull away and instead brought her closer. He would have been rather hard in his trousers if Claire's body temperature weren't freezing any enjoyment of the situation out of his body. He couldn't shake the haunting thought that she wouldn't warm up and laid restlessly with a large, concerned frown on his face. It wasn't until hours later when Jack heard a quiet wimper and Claire's body rolled to push her cheek against his warm chest that he was able to shut his eyes and allow sleep to consume him.

Morning came all too soon when Claire stirred and blinked her eyes open against the bright sun. The air was cool causing Claire to shove herself back into the blankets to hazily seek out the warmth underneath. It wasn't until a hand lipped over her waist and a burly groan left the mouth inches away from her that she woke and realized her situation. She was almost completely nude pressed against the equally bare body of the pirate infamous for his numerous scandals with unclean women and possibly some men.

Her mind rushed to remember last night. She remembered steering the ship into a nasty storm and later an argument with Sparrow but nothing more. Had he drugged her? Or maybe he got angry at her and knocked her out for an easy night. She shot out of bed and jumped to her feet making Jack wake with a startle and tumble to the floor.

"What the hell did you do to me, Sparrow?" She fumed as Jack sat up with a groan.

"Now, Love, there's no need to yell this early in the morning. What's the matter?" His voice was raspy and his eyes were bloodshot. He tried to keep his eyes on her own hazel ones but found in difficult as the continued to drift over her formfitting undergarments.

"That's what's the matter!" She pointed to the swell in his boxers and roughly grabbed his face to keep his eyes locked on hers, "Look in my eyes, Sparrow. What did you do to me last night?"

Jack looked back to her eyes, now more interested in the intense fire being stoked behind them, "Nothing, Claire. You were freezing so I slept with you to warm you up-" that didn't come out the way he planned.

"Slept with me?" A sting covered his cheek as she swiftly slapped him, "I knew it, you bastard!"

"No, Love, not like that! You had hypothermia. Froze you half to death so I shared my body heat to keep you alive!" He stood and reached for her shoulders.

She swatted his hands away and grabbed her coat to tie it tightly around her body, "Don't feed me your lies. Thomas, Quinn!" She called out the door. Thomas and a burly man rushed in, "Take Mr. Sparrow to the brig. He'll be staying there until we arrive at our next stop."

"Stubborn wench. Why won't you just believe me?" The crewmen began to tow him off, "I'm telling you the truth! I saved your bloody life!"

She slammed the door open and looked into his dark brown eyes, "And why did you? Any other pirate would have just left me to die. It would have been the perfect opportunity to steal my ship and last I checked you are notorious for doing just that."

Jack released a heavy sigh and dropped his head, "I felt it was my fault it happened to you."

"Your fault?"

"I can tell you're trying to prove to me that you're a tough enough captain. I should have just allowed you to sail your ship, it wasn't my place to try to take over. Just seeing you so lifeless, it worried me. And this," he gestured to his half naked body, "Was the only thing I could think of to help."

"Bullshit." the men tossed Jack into a cell and ran off, "All you've ever said has been bullshit."

"What will I take to get you to believe me?"

"I'd have to see it with my own eyes. But seeing as you're trapped in here for the remainder of your short journey, I don't believe you'd be showing me anything."

"What about De Muerta? If you kick me off, how are you going to make it there?"

"It'll just be a sacrifice I'll have to make. Now, we'll be arriving at a small island in 10 hours. There are no other ships for you to board and the closest colony to the island is 32 miles away. In essence, you'll be trapped."

"Wait! Please believe with I say,"

"You've given me absolutely no reason to believe you. You're a fraud and a liar and I won't tolerate it on my ship." She briskly walked up the stairs.

"Claire!" Jim came running to her, "Where's Captain Sparrow? Quinn said you'd locked him up." Jim was flustered and his eyes were as bloodshot as Jack's were.

"Aye, I did lock him up as he well deserves. Have you been sleeping alright?"

"But why?" Jim ignored her question, "What has he done?"

"It's none of your concern what he's done"

"What are you hiding? You've never kept something from me. Tell me, what happened?"

"He raped me, Jim!" She ground her teeth to stop from screaming at the younger pirate, "He took me to my cabin last night and raped me! He made up some awful excuse that he saved me from hypothermia."

"What but how are you so sure he raped you?"

"I woke up undressed with him laying next to me. I think that's evidence enough."

"But that's not right." Jim trailed off in thought. Claire turned and headed for her cabin, "Wait! Claire, you don't understand! Jack's telling the truth! You really did have hypotherm-" Claire slammed the door and disappeared to the confinement of her room.

Jim rushed downstairs to find Jack slumped over on the hay covered floor. His dreads hung in his eyes as he spun his hat in his hands. He murmured softly to himself, almost arguing over something.

"Captain Jack?" Jim asked lightly in his childish voice. He was over 15 years younger than the infamous captain and felt slightly intimidated by him. "Did you sleep with Captain Claire after we left you to watch her?"

"By George, boy, of course not!" He stood to tower over Jim's short height. "I may be a pirate captain but I do have respect enough for women not to rape them in their sleep!"

"Aye, then what happened that's upset her?"

"She believes I slept with her when I bloody hell did not, but she won't listen to a word I say."

"She ignored me as well. We need to clear your name before she throws you off."

"And how do you suppose we do that?"

"Well, we'll just have to get her to believe you."

"That's impossible." He sighed, "I could she her Davey Jones's Locker and she still wouldn't believe me."

"What if we just made her believe you hadn't raped her?"

"That would be ideal in my situation. What do you have in mind?" It was silent for a moment as Jim sorted through his thought.

"Captain, are you a good betting man?" Jim smiled and Jack quickly caught on.

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><p><strong>Comment and review please :D I'm searching for a new song for this story so for those of you who are interested, the artist and song title will be put in the summary. Thanks eveyone!<strong>

**~Mekana**


	4. For you Outside My Doorway

**As I promised, here's chapter 4. I like to thank the large amount of people who have added this story to their watch list and favorites. I never thought this would be such a success! Check out my song selection for this story- Andrew Belle- The ladder. I think it fits pretty well. Enjoy!**

**~Mekana**

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><p>The ship ported at Isla De Miseria, a pathetic excuse of a colony that used to be a major city for ships traveling between Spain and the Caribbean Islands until it's inhabitants moved to a larger location 32 miles south of here. All that was left of the island were several farming families and a native tribe inland from the port.<p>

Claire released her crew for the day to find supplies and whatever else they fancied before they left for their new destination in Italy. Since Claire was giving up Jack, she was also giving up the bounty at De Muerta and no longer had a reason to travel the distance. There were rumors of treasure in Italy so it seemed as good a location as any. It frustrated her that she was going to throw such an opportunity out the window so easily but she couldn't stand to listen to Jack any longer.

Jack was as argumentative as ever as Claire had two of her crew men drag Jack through the town to the other side of the island, his heels dug into the dirt the entire way. The men wrapped Jack securely to a palm tree with empathetic faces.

"Sorry, Mr. Sparrow. No hard feelings." One of the men apologized.

"Yeah, just Captain's orders."

"Aye, I know mates." Jack sighed. Claire walked forward and crossed her arms.

"Stop with the pity party. You brought this on yourself." She tossed a pistol with a single bullet to Jack's dirty shoes and sighed. " Your ride ends here, Jack. I suppose you know the drill."

"Please, Claire. Will you listen to me? I'm telling you the truth."

"Sparrow, save your breath. Not a single thing you've told me has been true. I may deal with some shit, Sparrow, but I won't deal with being treated like an idiot."

"Well, what about my compass?"

"What about that piece of junk?"

"Well, that's one thing that's real! How would you prove that wrong?"

"That thing? You probably just broke it open and turned the pin to make it lead to you bloody island or something." She turned her back to him.

"Stubborn woman." He muttered.

"I'm done here. Farewell Captain Sparrow."

"Wait! What if I said I could steal your ship before you made it back? You obviously won't believe that."

"What was the, Sparrow?" She stopped from leaving.

"Let's make a bet. If I can get to your ship and out of port before you get there then you'll believe everything I've said."

She laughed, "And what if you lose?"

"Then I'll give you my compass and you can finish your journey to De Muerta."

"Haha, deal, Sparrow." She began to walk away again, "Good luck getting yourself untied from that tree."

Jack smiled as Claire strolled out of sight.

"Don't wish me luck, Love." He slipped a knife from his sleeve that Jim had smuggled from the kitchen for him and placed it against the ropes tied around his wrists, "'Cause you'll need it a lot more than I do."

The ropes were cut and he darted down a path parallel to Claire's. Jack ducked under a tree and exited the jungle back into the town. He could see Claire twenty feet down the path talking with a farmer bartering for some cabbage, "She really thought there was no way I'd beat her." He chuckled.

A farmer leading a carriage passed by. Jack jumped onto the back and sat on top of the crops. The carriage turned onto the path Claire was walking and the farmer whipped the horses reins to speed up the trip.

The carriage galloped passed Claire who turned her head at the sound. "Oh, hello, Clairey!" Jack called with a wide grin. Claire's eyes met his and her mouth dropped before she grit her teeth together and let out a growl, " Great day for a ride down to the harbor. Don't you think? The weather's perfect for sailing the Mermada!" He laughed.

"Jack!" Claire dropped her cabbages and stormed off after him. She sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her but found it difficult to keep up with a horse." In her panicked rush, she spotted a cart and grabbed it. She ran to catch speed and jumped into the basket standing as if it were a skateboard. She teetered on her feet as she struggled to keep balance.

"Hey!" The farmer leading Jack's ride turned back at the sound of Jack laughter, "Get out of there you hooligan! You're ruining my crops!" He gave jack a hard shove and Jack fell out of the crops with a hard thud onto the cobblestone road.

He looked in horror and defeat as Claire's golden- haired blur whizzed by laughing at his expense. She met his gaze with smiling eyes and an even happier grin. "Can't catch me, Sparrow!"

"Oh, I bet I can." He chuckled finding this bet to be a newfound game between the two. He remembered his plan and looked for Jim. The scruff-haired boy was around the corner holding the reins of a beautiful black stallion.

"Think this'll help, Captain?" Jim smiled handing the reins to Jack.

"Thanks, lad." Jack smiled. Jim laced his fingers to create a step for Jack and heaved him on the horse.

"If you take the back alley, it's half the distance of the path Captain Claire's taking. The crew's already prepared to set sail."

"Aye, aye, mate." Jack kicked the horse and took off down the alley. The alley was a clear shot to the port where he could make out the sails rising. "Beautiful," He said and whipped the reins.

Claire turned the corner and jumped off the cart. The landing was rough but once Claire regained her blanace she sprinted to the dock. She came to her ship to have the boarding ramp pulled up from under her feet. She took a step back onto the dock and stared dumbfounded at her crew who were locking her from her own ship. "What? Mates, let me in!"

"Sorry , Captain. You lost the bet."

"No I didn't. I beat him. Where's Jack?"

Jack sauntered out, a wide grin on his face. He was wearing Claire's hat, playing with the blue feathers.

"Hello, Love. Your men are so cooperative! I really feel like I'm captain of the Royalle Mermada."

"Jack! But, you were- How did you-?"

"Ah, you doubted poor Jackie's skills." He sniggered, "Quite a lovely hat this is, by the way." The ship began to move along the dock, "And, I believe the ship is leaving port so I've won our little bet."

"Fine, you've won. Please, let me on, Jack. The deal wasn't that you became captain of my ship."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Jack tossed a rope ladder over the edge and she climbed up. As Claire set onto the dock, a wave smacked the side of the ship and Claire fell onto Jack.

Jack caught her and laughed as they both tumbled to the deck. Claire joined in his laughter and buried her blushed cheeks in his hair.

"I could have beaten you, you know."

"I highly doubt it."

"Well, we'll just have to have a race again. You know, that was the most fun I'd had in years." She said standing up and offering Jack a hand, which he happily took.

"You need to loosen up sometimes. You're as strict as a British colonel."

"right," She paused, "Now, give me my hat," She snatched at her hat but was an inch too short.

"I don't think I will. This really is a beautiful hat."

"It's French, now give it!"

Jack chuckled and placed it on her head. "I rather like your hair. It's a shame you cover it up."

She let out a huff but couldn't help the smile plastered goofily on her lipe. " Christopher, set sail for De Muerta. We have some gold to collect!"

The crew cheered and hurried their work to quicken the trip.

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><p><strong>Comment and review, please! I'm more apt to write if you do!<strong>


	5. Woe is Me, One if by Land

**Hey everyone! I like this chapter, though it's a bridge. I thank everyone for following this story and I'll try to stay ontop of my postings.**

**Enjoy  
>~Mekana<strong>

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><p>Jack stood at the door to Claire's cabin. Inside, Claire was sat at her heavy wooden desk reading <em>The Pickwick Papers <em>by Charles Dickens, a set of reading glasses balancing delicately on her nose. Her hat was hung on her bedpost and her jacket lay next to it. Her hair was damp from recently taking a bath and left unbrushed. She wore only her cotton shirt instead of her vest and silken blouse. Her shoulders were relaxed instead of stiff and her eyes had softened from their hard watch. It was the last way Jack would have imagined Claire to look. The uptight girl actually looked relaxed and comfortable and beautiful. "_The Pickwick Papers, hm?" _He leaned against her doorframe.

"Yes, I picked it up a few years ago and never found the time to read it. It's quite a wonderful book." She answered, too engrossed with her book to look at him.

"It is. I read it a while back. You'll like how it ends."

She let out a hum in agreement.

"So, do you believe me now?" Jack shifted on his feet, too impatient to keep up the chit chat.

"I suppose I have no choice. You did win the bet." Claire sighed.

"Yes, but, do you really believe me? If you could make the decision, would you?"

She put down her book and met his watchful gaze. She paused in thought and her brow furrowed before she found how to state her answer, "I… I don't think I could without proof. I've lived too long at sea to simply throw away what I know is true and trust in mythical fairytales like I were a child again. I want to believe you're not making all of this up but it's all just too far-fetched."

"Aye, I suppose if you haven't experienced it yourself it just sounds like a child's story. But if you can't believe my stories at least trust that I won't lie to you."

"I'll try." her voice was quiet like that of a ghostly dream but she was completely honest. It wasn't like she wanted everything he said to be a lie. The fact that the things he said weren't real to her actually hurt. In the back of her mind she wanted everything he'd told her to be real just so she could put her full faith in him. As much as she hated the lying, untrustworthy, foolish boy she saw Jack as, she loved the charismatic, risk-taking, swoon of man he was towards her.

He had the smallest smile on his face and his saunter was much less arrogant as he walked to her side of the desk. He kneeled down and placed a hand on the back of her neck. She avoided his gaze but to his enjoyment she didn't tense up at his touch and her cheeks were noticeably more pink. He placed the smallest most gentle kiss on her temple and with a quiet "Thank you," he left the room.

Claire released the breath she'd been holding in, picked up her glasses and continued to read.

"Captain Sparrow!" Jim grinned at Jack, thoroughly happy to have him back. He slung his arm around Jack's neck and let out a goofy chuckle.

"Ah, Jim, my boy. What's that genius mind of yours up to today?"

"Just heading to the galley for supper, Sir. How did the bet go?"

"Well, I'm here. Aren't I boy? Little Miss Claire has forgiven me and I think she's becoming fond of me. You know all women fall for Ol' Jackie eventually. How did you know the bet would work so well?"

"Claire's a bit of a gambler. She finds and competition worth her time because she simply enjoys the risk."

"Haha, Miss Uptight Russell's a risk taker? That sounds as opposite as a dolphin walking on land!"

"She didn't used to be that way. She used to be a fun, happy girl willing to try anything before her father died."

"What made her so stern in the first place? I've met a sandwich with more humor than her."

"She was forced to become captain at a young age. Her childhood years were cut short with her father's death and she coped with it by building this stubborn shield around her to avoid getting hurt."

"Well, we'll just have to teach her how to have a little fun, now, won't we?"

"Jack!" All the men cheered at once when the two entered the galley. Almost everyone greeted Jack with a handshake and patted Jim on the back and rewarding him for his "genius idea". Jack received their portion of meat pie and ginger rum and joined Jim at a table. "Where is Claire?"

"She's probably in her cabin. She'll swarm herself with work all night. Last time she had such a great heading as De Muerta, she locked herself up and completely skipped dinner."

"Hm," Jack placed his fork down and stood, "I'll be right back." He rushed off and knocked on Claire's door.

"Come in," Claire called. Jack opened the door, grabbed her wrist, and tugged her to her feet, "Jack!" She shrieked.

"Come on, Love. Have some dinner and rum with your crew for a change."

"But I'm not even wearing shoes. And I have to map out the coordinates to De Muerta. I have far too much work to do."

"And yet, you're sitting around reading. You're fine, I'll help you with the work later. Now come," They entered back into the galley and joined Jim to eat.

"I shouldn't be taking orders from a shipless captain." She muttered, taking a sip of her red wine.

"Just relax and enjoy some time with your crew. Rodney over there has quite the talent with the guitar, maybe he'll play you a song." He pointed to the bearded man singing drunkenly with some other men. "Or maybe you're more into a game of cards with Joseph over there, but be careful he cheats. He stole my best watch, little bugger." Claire laughed at Jack's dismay.

After a few awkward conversations with people Jack brought her to, Claire settled for talking to an African woman named Janeka. Janeka had happened to be born in the same town as Claire and shared many memories of games and play as a child. Claire found herself laughing at the memories that were similar to her own and feeling sympathy for the woman when a memory was upsetting.

After Claire had told her about the time she was with a dashing boy who broke her heart, Janeka turned her attention to Jack.

"How 'bout Cap'n Sparrow, hm?"

"What about him?" Claire asked clueless.

"Well, he's quite the man, with his beautiful face and that charm of his. Have you and him found some chemistry?"

Claire blushed deeply, "No, we haven't! I mean I don't think we have. I do hate him less than I had when we first met and he's become more beautiful to me. But I don't think he'd like a girl like me, anyways."

"I tink otherwise. His eyes haven't left you all night! He must like you." Janeka's lips turned into a sneaky grin.

Claire turned back to meet Jack's gaze across the room. She quickly looked away.

"I tink you'd be a fool not to like him back. Any other woman would be drooling at his feet."

"He is quite a Romeo." Claire trailed off. Her cheeks were a tone darker and she took another glance back at him.

"You should go tell him."

"No, I couldn't possibly-" Claire was saved when a man on the other side of the room waved her down. She placed a hand on Janeka's shoulder and walked off.

"Captain! We have news for you!" The man called. She took a seat in between him and another man.

"Aye, news of treasure!" The other piped in. Claire's ears immediately perked up.

"Well, what about it men?" She eagerly listened with a growing smile on her face.

"We heard from a man at Isla De Miseria that there have been rumors of cursed treasure on the island of Curacao."

"Really, that's right along our travel!"

"Aye, but it's cursed." Jack joined in.

"Aw, curses are the tales parents tell their children to keep them from becoming pirates." She wrapped her arms around the men's shoulders and laughed, "Well, then mates. Go inform Christopher to switch gears to Curacao! We have treasure awaiting!" The men cheered and clanked their steins together.

"To Curacao!" They hollered.

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><p><strong>If you're interested in searching it up, Curacao is a real place and is really beautiful. I'm trying to make my next vacation there. It'll probably help with visualization in the next chapter if you can see the beauty of this place.<strong>

**Please please please! Review and comment! I'm begging you on my knees! So what do you think of the story thus far?**

**Till next week  
>~Mekana<strong>


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